Lewis (Louie for short)

This is Louie the Muskrat. According to our friendly neighbor and long time resident Ann, he lives under our wooden deck. Roo and I watched him for several minutes out the kitchen window yesterday afternoon. He's a busy little guy relentlessly searching for his grub in the grass. Given his size, I'd say he's been rewarded for his effort. This photo is taken through the glass, any slight noise sends him scampering up the nearby stone wall into a cluster of trees. He and the squirrels and striped gophers seem to have a cohabitation agreement as they jointly scour the yard with little concern of one another. In the winter we expect to see the deer that eat the evergreens bordering ours and Ann's property, so there's more to come. For those unfamiliar with Louie and his fellow successful North American fur balls, a muskrat is a rodent, but is not technically a rat.